Blog | Page 9 of 23 | Olive Photography

Toronto Family Photography | Baby Simon

July 29, 2016

Guys, today was really special.
Today I met Simon.
Simon is the absolutely *precious* brand new baby of Catherine and Alex, whose engagement and wedding I photographed last year.

Sibling to @pugfranktravels (Frank was so patient and sweet with him!), Simon is the perfect combination of his two parents.
At first I was amazed at how much he looks like Alex, but then he changed his facial expression and all I saw was Catherine.
So cool how one person can look so much like the two who made him.

I asked them, “What’s been the coolest thing so far?” Catherine said it’s the fact that she was able to grow this little human inside her. Alex agreed.
Clearly they are so enamoured with their mini-me.
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I decided to take a more doumentary/lifestyle approach for this session – I wanted to capture life as they were living it right now, as their baby was 8 days old.
When Simon started crying, after the effectiveness of Alex’s helpful dips was waning, I asked what they would normally do at this time — Catherine said she’d feed and try to settle Simon while Alex would work on dinner, firing up the BBQ.
I wanted to photograph that, along with spending time in his nursery, so they can freeze these quickly fleeting moments and re-live them in the future.

Catherine’s parents had been visiting and helping, and I thought it would be so wonderful to include them in some photos as well.
Having grandparents in this family session gave me the feels, y’all.
I got teary-eyed when Catherine’s mum recounted how she was present during delivery. You could tell she was SO proud and excited.
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Thanks so much for inviting me to photograph yet another beautiful time in your lives, you guys. It’s always so wonderful to see you and words can’t express how happy I am that I got to meet your amazing li’l guy <3

Scarborough Bluffs Engagement – Caitlin & Jesse

June 9, 2016

Caitlin Jesse Engagement LR sneak peek-11

Scarborough Bluffs Engagement Photos | Olive Photography

For Caitlin & Jesse’s engagement session we totally incorporated so many things that were very ‘them’, which is always super nice! When we started out, Jesse said he’d like to take some shots of them playing road hockey together since he’s SUCH a hockey buff (more about this in their love story below). So we had some fun getting *slightly* competitive on the street. We then strolled through some of Caitlin’s childhood neighbourhood – her parents live legitimately right around the corner from that incredible lookout point. Can you believe that is in Toronto? (Safety Note: Anyone who visits here, *please* be careful as the bluffs are known to spontaneously shed. Stay back several feet!)

On our way back from the Bluffs we got to talking a bit more about the two of them & their interests, and I learned that Jesse also loves his pickup truck. The idea struck me to pop some popcorn and hang out in the back of the truck for some shots – and that spontaneous idea led to some of my absolute faves from their shoot! Caitlin’s parents’ cat Diva even joined us for some of the fun!
Here are some of my faves from their engagement session – Can’t wait for their big day at Cambium Farms next month!

Hockey Engagement Photos | Olive Photography

Toronto Engagement Session | Olive Photography

Cat Engagement Photos | Olive Photography

Popcorn Engagement Photos | Olive Photography

And here’s their love story, from the couple themselves!

Jesse’s first love is hockey, so it only made sense that he would propose on skates. He planned a surprise weekend getaway in Ottawa including a morning at the spa for me and an evening together skating on the Rideau Canal.

We braved the -20 degree weather and headed out. Not having been on skates for years I was totally out of my comfort zone. Jesse, on the other hand, was in his element and literally skated circles around me. You would think that after 10 years together I would have had some suspicions of what was about to happen, but I didn’t. So when Jesse bent down on one knee to adjust his skate I was simply proud of myself for not falling on my face without the support of his steady hand. As I slowly and shakily turned around to see what was taking him so long he began to ask the question. Everything from that point on is a blur. I don’t remember what either of us said or did but I do remember the excitement, surprise and overwhelming joy (and the pain of the small tears freezing to my face).

Hamilton Waterfall Engagement – Queenie & Jason

May 25, 2016

Queenie and Jason love to hike, and they chose to have a Hamilton waterfall engagement session – What a gorgeous backdrop for photos that reflect them as a couple.
Now, when I say they like to hike, I don’t just mean an after brunch stroll… No sir-ee — Check out their totally hardcore (yet totally adorable) hiking outfits! (Later on in the post.)
They also brought a balloon that was on-theme with their wedding colours and a change of clothes for a different look.
We had tonnes of fun exploring together!
I won’t say too much about these two since they have put together an INCREDIBLE narrative about their love story. Read it at the bottom of the post!

And here is their love story, written by Jason!

It was warm that spring day, but early in the season so that a chill of snow and winter still remained underneath. The automotive shop that Jason owned and operated hummed with machinery and the ebb and flow of customers. It seemed a Wednesday afternoon just like any other until he got the call that would change his life, though he wouldn’t know that until much later.

“Aaaapex Automotive, Jason here,” he answered with a drawled and drawn out ‘A’ as he was wont to do.

“Hi Jason,” said a softspoken voice on the other end. “I’d like to book an appointment for service?”

As fate would have it, the first appointment of the morning on that very Friday was open.

“Okay, I’ll take it. My name is Queenie.”

Jason paused. “Come again? Queenie you said?”

“Yes, that’s QUEENIE,” she said, quick to spell it out for him.

Long after the call ended, that name stuck out to Jason on what was an otherwise ordinary day. What kind of person bore that regal title? Or perhaps it was selfappointed, he thought with a laugh. Friday came soon enough and with it the opportunity to discover for himself the woman behind the name.

9 a.m. sharp, an immaculate white hatchback Subaru Impreza with personalized Studio Ghibli plates rolled up to the shop. Morning cup of coffee quickly cooling and forgotten, Jason was further intrigued by the beautiful woman who stepped out of the car. The two strangers in all but name exchanged greetings and Jason got to work.

The way to a mechanic’s heart must surely be through the condition of their vehicle, because as Jason noted how clean Queenie’s car was, the signs of regular maintenance, and the artisan vinyl and lego toys on the dash and the Studio Ghibli soot sprite dangling from the rearview mirror, he was smitten. As a rule though, Jason never dated his customers, no matter how cute they happened to be.

While Jason prepared her invoice, Queenie in turn was impressed with the speed of service having barely sipped at her complimentary coffee or gotten past the first few pages of ads in her magazine. She paid the bill and pledged to be a repeat customer. Jason looked forward to seeing her again in 5000km or at the three month mark that was more likely to come first.

Queenie came back in a month and a half. Turns out she really racked up the kilometres in her commute to work as a pharmacist. Jason joked that Queenie was actually driving around in circles to accumulate the kms to come see him. Over the next few visits, each one building with anticipation, they got to know each other better and bonded over their mutual love of anime.

The final nudge by fate, by then late winter, was when Queenie mentioned to Jason her upcoming snowboarding trip. Though she was a highly educated professional and he a blue collar grease monkey, Jason was beginning to suspect that she was perfect for him. And that she was worth breaking rules for.

No sooner had Queenie finished talking about snowboarding, Jason, in all his suave casanovaness, blurted out, “Do you have a boyfriend?”

“No,” Queenie said after a moment of silence, surprise at the abrupt change in subject clear on her face.

“Do you want to get a drink sometime?”

There was no hesitation this time. “Yes!”

A year later, Jason proposed to Queenie in France.

And that was how the magic happened.

Toronto Ice Cream Engagement – Bridget & Nick

May 25, 2016

Bridget and I first connected after she tagged Nick on one of my Instagram posts that said I was almost completely booked up for 2016. She wrote to him: “ALERT, ALERT… another potential 2016 wedding issue. We NEED @OlivePhotoTO”
I loved her sense of humour! I was honoured, and couldn’t wait to meet these two!
This was before her and Nick were engaged, mind you.

A while back, I had photographed her friend’s wedding, and the next year I shot another friend’s wedding — when she learned it was me who shot them both it had sealed the deal in her mind and we got to talking about photographing their (soon-to-be officially upcoming) big day.

I am SO glad I met them.
Bridget and Nick are two of the sweetest, kindest, most fun folks you’ll come across. (You have to read their love story below the photos!!)

For their engagement session we went out for some Dutch Dreams Ice Cream with #allthesprinkles – AND cotton candy… WHAT!
Nick commented, “I think Bridget loves ice cream as much as she loves me”
One of their photos was even quickly picked up by Narcity, featuring some of Toronto’s Bucket List desserts to try. Way cool.

We then went to a park for a stroll & a picnic, enjoying the finally awesome Toronto weather.

Here are some snaps from their fun kind of quintessentially Toronto engagement session. I had a blast with you two!

And here are some words from the lovebirds themselves!

Our Love Story:

Nicholas and I met on a blind date in our last year of university. Sci Formal is a very exclusive, exciting event at Queen’s University. It is the kind of event that people don’t want to miss and anyone who knew me had listen to me talk about it since my first year of university.

In order to attend, each graduating engineer is required to complete forty hours of volunteer service toward the design and creative work of transforming the space. All other attendees are by invite only.

Luckily for me, Nicholas had an extra ticket and I had been vocally expressing my “I don’t care who takes me attitude,” to anyone who would listen and a mutual friend connected us on the day of the event. Between my six roommates and I, we managed to pull me together in record time. And my dashing date? He showed up in a kilt and offered me his sgian-dubh (aka. sock knife) to help me at our pre-event dinner and insisted that I didn’t need to carry a purse around all night because he had a sporran (aka. kilt purse). To be honest, it all started off a little weird.

We had a great time at the event together: we danced; we drank; we kissed. When it came time to head home, Nicholas insisted that since he was wearing a skirt, that is was only appropriate that I walk him home. He said he was feeling sick and didn’t invite me in (I took the hint, insisted that he take the money for the ticket and wished him well for the future). We both woke up with strep throat (yay!) and a hangover. I immediately felt bad for how our night ended and texted Nicholas.

Texts turned into run-ins, run-ins turned into planned dates, and planned dates brought us through two years of long-distance and eventually we moved in together and are where we are today. It wasn’t love at first sight, but we grow more in love each day.

Our Proposal:

In February of this year, after traveling up in a crazy snowstorm (cue a pit stop at Sawdust City Brewing Co.) we romantically skated around the skate trail at Arrowhead Provincial Park surrounded by freshly fallen snow. Nicholas pulled a ring out of his pocket and in his usual “stick it to tradition” way, he asked me if I would be his best friend forever. We’re pretty cute like that. So it’s been a pretty exciting year for us!

Toronto Islands Engagement – Donna & Rob

May 12, 2016

Donna and Rob are the sweetest.

Their enthusiasm and fun-loving sensibilities were immediately apparent when we first started talking — The first photo they sent me of what they look like was of them wearing a huge curly wig, making silly faces. They also sent a photo of them with matching sweaters saying “and sometimes we go out of our way to coordinate outfits for instagram ” — They were so funny!

Leading up to their engagement session I could already feel their excitement about our shoot through their emails and Snapchat posts (add OlivePhotoTO on Snapchat for frequent behind the scenes posts!).

The day before their e-sesh Rob emailed with “So stoked and excited for this tomorrow!!! It’s going to be fun and awesome :)” — And boy, was it ever.

Donna gathered some adorable props for their photos that reflected their personalities and wedding. They love Pop Toys and will have them at their wedding, so they brought some to the shoot. We of course had to get a shot of her Cinderella kissing his Batman.

They also brought yummy salted caramel popcorn from a local shop & bag stamped with their wedding hashtag (#RDmovie – They are having their reception at the Eglinton Grand), along with some other touches that reflect their interests.

We had a tonne of fun exploring, chatting and photographing to commemorate their engagement. We even made friends with some birds! And I was so surprised when they handed me a thank you card, popcorn souvenir and a Starbucks gift card with a camera on it after the shoot. (Did I mention they are the sweetest?)

Here are some of my faves from their shoot!
(And be sure to check out the end of the post for their love story & photos from Rob’s proposal!!)

And now some words from the happy couple themselves:

Our Love Story

Finding one love, and the one, happens when you least expect it. We met on Tinder (lol).

Both of us caved into our respective coworkers’ peer pressure to join. “Put yourself out there, and give someone a chance. S/He’ll be lucky.” Neither of us supported typical tinder dates. We actually went skating outdoors, and then to church on our first date! (It really throws people off when they guess where/how we met). We were both pretty naive, Donna was looking for strictly platonic friendships, and Rob… was hoping to find the love of his life *aww*.

There was an instant spark when we first started texting – the way we chit chatted seemed like we had known each other forever. The flame only grew as time went on. It wasn’t hard to know that “this was it”. In fact, we discussed its potential pretty early on because well, as cliched as it sounds, we just knew.

Proposal Story

Rob: I was more nervous gathering the courage to ask Donna’s parents. They smiled and joked there would be no refunds! I later coordinated with her family and close friends to meet inside the Teavanna at the Shop @ Don Mills to witness le pro-posal. I honestly couldn’t contain the excitement of the proposal that I almost spill the beans to Donna on a few occasions! When you’re that excited, I wanted to tell everyone, especially to the woman I love. Luckily, I always caught myself. At work on the other hand, I couldn’t keep it in, it was the “worst kept secret,” everyone wished me good luck the day before!

I tricked Donna into thinking that we were going to my work party and had to detour at the Roots at Shops @ Don Mills beforehand. When we arrived at the parking lot, I panicked a little as the car lot was packed. Even though I knew it was a public area, I was not anticipating a big crowd (thankfully the crowds were for the Star Wars debut). While slipping out for a “bathroom break,” I confirmed that our family, friends and the hidden photographer (my co-worker @ViolettaHoll) were on site. Everything was in place, it was now time for action.

Those who know Donna know that she loves pictures, and photo props — thus, I knew she would want a selfie with the beautiful Christmas tree. While walking towards the tree, I gathered the courage to give her my heart. I told her how much I love her, how I feel like I’m the luckiest guy in the world, and to me, she was the most beautiful girl out there. Then, I got down to one knee and popped the question! Spoiler: she said yes!! (See pics below). Afterwards I pointed out our photographer and she took some snaps and pointed out that our close friends and family were waiting in Teavana. What I didn’t expect is when we both walked in the staff there made aisle for us and congratulated us and gave us tea and lots of cheering. Family & friends were stoked and took pictures.

Congratulations again, you two! I can’t wait for your big day in October!

Credits:

Pop Toys: Funko Pop Toys
“Let’s Go On An Adventure” Decorative Pillow: Indigo
Picnic Throw: Homesense
Gotham Beer Bottle from: Bellwoods Brewery
Popcorn: Angie’s Boom Chicka Pop
Stamp (on popcorn bag): 2712 Designs
Makeup: Mobile Makeovers
Baskets: Kijiji
Photography: Olive Photography

Toronto Proposal Photography – Andy & Viv

May 10, 2016

On a recent evening my phone started to ring – the call display said the number was from the US.
I picked up, and learned of the sweetest thing!

Andy and Viv have a long distance relationship – both living in different states currently.
Originally both from California, she moved to New York to be a real estate lawyer and he tours around being a dentist for the military.
They were planning a trip through Asia, and they had a one-day layover in Toronto.

Andy wanted to propose on that layover day, and he wanted a photographer to document the happy occasion.

Guys, I was SO excited.
I can’t even tell you.

Well, being the totally enthusiastic and keen person I am, I immediately started working with him to brainstorm ideas, and we quickly set a plan.
I would gather a few items – picnic basket, blanket, champagne, glasses – and help him find THE BEST Toronto skyline view for a romantic site for him to pop the question.

The day approached. Their planes had both arrived in Toronto and they met up around 11:30 am. They checked into a hotel, dropped off some stuff, & explored the city.
Meanwhile, I took the ferry to Ward’s Island that afternoon and set up the picnic stuff at the site.

At 5:30, they took the ferry across and Andy started to lead her across the island (saying a friend had said it was super pretty) using the directions I had sent him.

I knew what they looked like (he had sent me a photo), and when I saw them approach I readied my camera.

They arrived at the spot, and Andy made a comment about the strange picnic basket. They walked towards it, and he got down on one knee.

Y’all know what happens next.
She was totally surprised in that moment. And I was smiling ear to ear as I photographed the magic happen.

Hugs, kisses, happiness abound!

They then enjoyed some bubbly and some quality time exploring the beautiful scenery as I snapped away to commemorate the evening.

Ah! I’m so giddy just thinking about it.

Congratulations again, Andy and Viv!! I am SO stoked for you guys!!

Personal Brand Photography – Toronto Brand Consultant: Bot Communications

April 30, 2016

My Core Values are completely in line with my company (Community, Creativity, Connection, Passion, Gratitude).
And I’ve never been so excited to call this my ‘job.’

Personal Brand Photography Spotlight:
Nicole runs brand consulting company Bot Communications.
She is grounded. She is driven. She is innovative. She is inspiring.
She will help you find your sparkle.

A bit about who she is and what she does:

“I’ve always had a knack (that might be a stretch, I’ve always had an obsession) for branding and social media, but never realized it would lead me to start my dream business.

I unknowingly have built a pretty good personal brand for myself. With over 2,500 Facebook friends, 3700+ instagram followers, 850 Facebook Fans, and 800 Twitter followers, people often came to me with questions. “How do I make a Facebook page for my new brand?” “What app do you use to get the white border in Instagram?” “Why do my pictures look fuzzy when I upload them to Facebook?”

… I contributed to lululemon athletica’s international blog (See here, here and here). I ran Ryerson’s first ever internal social network, as well as the social media for a film festival and even turned a local run campaign into a global one (check out #irunbhill). I currently do photography and some social media for a super cool design firm in Toronto. And I started Bot.”

Read more about Nicole and what she does here: http://www.botcommunications.com/nicole/
You can also find her on Instagram @botcomm

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Lifestyle Personal Brand Photography by Olive Photography.
Get in touch if you would like photographs for your own brand! Email: info@olivephotography.ca

Personal Brand Photographer Toronto – Wedding Planner: Bisous Events

April 30, 2016

Personal Brand Photography
Toronto wedding planner Jess Hoang of Bisous Events is a babe.
She’s also a planner extraordinaire who can help you with all things wedding.
She is so approachable and fun to be around too.
And how CUTE is her pup Misu?? Even that name – from tiraMISU – is just squee-worthy.
So much fun spending some time with these two!

More about Bisous Events:

“Bisous Events creates timeless weddings for the modern couple.

A boutique event and wedding planning company based on west Toronto. At Bisous Events, we specialize in celebration, exceptional service, personalization and style. Weddings are beyond an excuse for a party; it symbolizes the fusion of lives, visions, lifestyles, families (pets included!) and cultures. Let Bisous Events help you combine your unique visions, personalities and backgrounds into a harmonic celebration worthy of the many years you will share together.

Bisous Events specializes in wedding planning, wedding coordination, event management and design. Our packages include full planning, partial planning and coordination which are all customizable based on the client’s needs. We are that someone to ensure all set-up and design goes as planned, make sure all guests are comfortable, the day is going smoothly and on schedule, as well as that everything looks beautiful.”

See more at www.bisousevents.com

Archeo Distillery District Wedding – Jen & Ben

April 30, 2016

Jen & Ben had a lovely intimate wedding at the Distillery District’s Archeo restaurant.
It was a super low-key day surrounded by their nearest and dearest – and it happened to fall on one of the first Spring-like days of the season. (Thank you Mother Nature!)
During their portraits the wind hilariously lifted Jen’s looong veil completely vertically! And it stayed there for several minutes!

Here are some snapshots from their special day, along with some words from the couple themselves at the end about their love story <3

Your Love Story:
We met on E-Harmony. We were both looking for a serious relationship but also weren’t willing to settle. We knew very early on we were very different. Ben is an intellectual, he can spend hours reading and playing Chess. I, on the other hand, spend a lot of time online shopping and reading running magazines. We also learned very quickly that we share all the same core values and we have two very important things in common. We love running and we both love adventure. We ran our first Marathon together, have travelled to exotic places together, bungee jumped together and the list goes on.

Ben proposed on Wards Island on a very chilly October evening. We were the only two people on a small beach overlooking the Toronto skyline at night. We were so excited after he proposed we almost missed the ferry back to the city. We ran back to the ferry and I screamed out that we just got engaged. The ferry operator spoke almost no english and had no clue what I was talking about.

What is your wedding theme / style / colour palette? Why did you choose this?
We love Toronto. I moved to the city very shortly after meeting Ben and fell in love with it and him 🙂 The Distillery District is classic, rustic, and represents the city well. Since our wedding is in the spring our bridesmaid dresses are floral and the flowers range in colour. Very little in our wedding matches. I wanted it to look very organic and natural while still elegant like the city.

What 3 words best describe your wedding? Spring, Classic, Romantic

Any words of advice for couples planning their wedding?
It’s a lot of fun planning a wedding. I think you have to know what you want, or at least have an idea, before you start planning. Indecisiveness creates stress for everyone. If you stay true to who you and your fiancé are others will support you along the way.

Thank you for inviting me to be a part of this special time in your journey together, Jen & Ben! I wish you soooooo much happiness in your marriage!

Vendors:

Toronto Engagement Photography – Andree & Katherine

April 22, 2016

Andree got in touch with me shortly after he and Katherine got engaged with a very unique story.
They live countries apart (he in Toronto, her in Texas), and they met each other at a religious retreat a couple of years ago.
But then they didn’t talk for about 2 years.
As time passed, they were on each other’s minds and they rekindled their connection online.
Now, this may sound like a common enough story, but here’s where it’s quite different:
As they spoke, they realized very quickly that their shared views and life goals were enough for them to seal the deal.
He bought a ring. She didn’t know. But, she did think to herself that if he asked she would definitely say yes.
He booked a ticket to visit her, and he proposed to her surrounded by beautiful blooming nature at a botanical garden; The profile of the ring features a leaf design to signify their love continually growing (aaaaw!) and she said yes!
When we photographed this session they had spent a total of less than a month with each other in person, but their shared beliefs mean they feel very secure in their decision to be together.
It was pretty cool to witness a couple’s slightly careful yet definitely giddy beginnings. They were still discovering how they fit into each other, but by the end of the session they were in a constant comfortable embrace. It was heartwarming and a privilege to be a part of.
Thank you so much for inviting me to document this special time for you, Andree & Katherine! I wish you an incredible life together!